Amy Hennig Discusses Visceral’s Star Wars Game

Amy Hennig, most prominently known for her work as writer and director of the Uncharted series, shed some light on her newest project: an action-adventure Star Wars game. At Visceral’s PAX West panel, she remained largely mysterious about the highly anticipated project, but assured fans that Visceral Games is working very closely with the writing team at Lucasarts.

Fans can expect an authentic Star Wars game, which will tell an original story which has yet to be revealed. Hennig noted that there would be many classic elements from the iconic universe, but the main focus would be new locations, creatures, story, and technology. The team is working hard to make sure that the new elements fit in right alongside the old.

Image Source: Game Transfers

Coming from an Uncharted background, Hennig says there are a lot of similarities between the two critically acclaimed series. From a storytelling perspective, she discussed the difference between Uncharted’s constant focus on hero Nathan Drake and Star Wars’ frequent perspective changes between “good” and “bad” characters. From a design perspective, Hennig notes that this brings about the “privileged observer problem”:

“When we watch a film, we’re the privileged observer, right? We’re not the protagonist… Their struggle is illuminated by the things we can see that they don’t. Suspense and all that kind of stuff. How do you do that in a game where you’re supposed to identify with the protagonist and cut away the things that they don’t know?”

Hennig finally explained that Visceral’s game will have “underdog” protagonists, similar to what we have seen in classic Star Wars films. Playable protagonists will be encountering situations where the odds are not in their favor, so a great effort will be needed in order to be successful. Hennig noted the challenge in creating in-game situations where overcoming the odds is the core principle.

Though little is known of Visceral’s Star Wars game, a brief trailer was shown at E3. This is just one of the many Star Wars projects being developed by various studios and published by EA.

I'm a freelance writer and musician based out of Providence, RI. I started playing videogames at a young age and I have since developed a love for JRPGs, indie games, shooters, and all things Star Wars. When I am not gaming, I am reading science fiction novels or performing music. Follow me on Twitter @_northernfrost

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